U.S. patent application number 10/459793 was filed with the patent office on 2003-12-18 for wall clock with dial illumination.
Invention is credited to Chung, Charles Wong Tak, Kibiloski, Keith E..
Application Number | 20030231553 10/459793 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 29739285 |
Filed Date | 2003-12-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030231553 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kibiloski, Keith E. ; et
al. |
December 18, 2003 |
Wall clock with dial illumination
Abstract
A wall clock of the analog type with hands for indicating the
time includes a battery, a housing, a dial with time indicia
disposed in the housing and an illumination module disposed
adjacently to the dial. The illumination module has one or more
recesses defined in an edge with one or more light sources disposed
in the recesses to provide illumination into the module. The
illumination module has edges and a back surface with light
reflective properties to reflect light in the interior of the
module and out the front surface and through the dial to provide
night lighting exterior to the clock. Preferably, the module has an
ovate shape such that the recesses and light sources are disposed
outside of the dial area. A light sensor senses the ambient
lighting conditions and activates and deactivates the light source.
The starting and ending times for illumination may also be
programmed into the clock. A battery icon has a plurality of bars
to indicate the remaining battery capacity. A dimmer control
adjusts the desired level of illumination.
Inventors: |
Kibiloski, Keith E.;
(Virginia Beach, VA) ; Chung, Charles Wong Tak;
(Hong Kong, HK) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Cook, Alex, McFarron, Manzo, Cummings, & Mehler
Suite 2850
200 West Adams
Chicago
IL
60606
US
|
Family ID: |
29739285 |
Appl. No.: |
10/459793 |
Filed: |
June 12, 2003 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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10459793 |
Jun 12, 2003 |
|
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10304329 |
Nov 26, 2002 |
|
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60387977 |
Jun 12, 2002 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
368/67 ;
368/276 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G04G 9/0041
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
368/67 ;
368/276 |
International
Class: |
G04B 037/00; G04B
019/30 |
Claims
1. A wall clock of the analog type with hands to indicate the hour
and minute; said wall clock comprising: a housing; a battery to
supply power to the wall clock; a dial disposed in the housing,
said dial containing indicia for the hours, said dial being
generally transparent; an illumination module with front and rear
surfaces, said illumination module disposed in the housing with the
front surface of said illumination module disposed behind and
adjacently to the dial, said illumination module having an edge
with a recess defined in the edge; and a light source disposed in
said recess to provide illumination into said illumination module;
said edge of the illumination module having light reflective
properties to reflect light about the interior of said illumination
module and out the front surface of the illumination module and
through said dial to provide illumination exterior to said
clock.
2. The wall clock in accordance with claim 1 wherein said
illumination module is of generally ovate shape with an enlarged
end, said recess is defined in the edge of the illumination module
at the enlarged end.
3. The wall clock in accordance with claim 1 wherein said light
source comprises one or more light emitting diodes.
4. The wall clock in accordance with claim 1 wherein said rear
surface of the illumination module has light reflecting
properties.
5. The wall clock in accordance with claim 1 wherein said rear
surface of the illumination module has an engraved surface to
improve light dispersion within and out of the front surface of
said illumination module.
6. The wall clock in accordance with claim 1 wherein a light
reflective material is disposed adjacently to the rear surface of
the illumination module to reflect light within and out of the
front surface of said illumination module.
7. The wall clock in accordance with claim 1 wherein said
illumination module is formed of a clear plastic material.
8. The wall clock in accordance with claim 1 further comprising a
light sensor to sense the ambient lighting conditions, to activate
the light source when the ambient lighting conditions are below a
predetermined threshold, and to deactivate the light source when
the ambient lighting conditions are above the predetermined
threshold.
9. The wall clock in accordance with claim 1 further comprising: a
programmable time control to program the time that the light source
will be activated and to program the time that the light source
will be deactivated.
10. The wall clock in accordance with claim 1 further comprising a
dimmer control to control the amount of illumination provided by
the light source to the illumination module.
11. The wall clock in accordance with claim 1 wherein said rear
surface of the illumination module has an engraved surface to
improve light dispersion within and out of said illumination
module.
12. The wall clock in accordance with claim 1 further comprising: a
second recess defined in the edge of said illumination module; and
a second light source disposed in the second recess.
13. The wall clock in accordance with claim 12 wherein said second
light source is of a different color than said light source.
14. The wall clock in accordance with claim 13 wherein said second
light source is a red color and is activated when the battery needs
replacement.
15. The wall clock in accordance with claim 1 further comprising: a
battery icon to indicate the level of charge remaining in the
battery.
16. The wall clock in accordance with claim 15 wherein said battery
icon has a plurality of bars to indicate the level of charge
remaining in the battery.
17. The wall clock in accordance with claim 16 wherein said battery
icon has a plurality of bars to indicate the level of charge
remaining in the battery, with all of said plurality of bars
activated when the battery has full charge and none of said
plurality of bars activated when the battery has insufficient
charge remaining.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This patent application is a non-provisional application of
prior U.S. provisional patent application Serial No. 60/387,977,
filed on Jun. 12, 2002, and is a continuation-in-part application
of U.S. patent applications "Clocks Having Diffusion Reflector
Lighting", Ser. No. 10/304,329, filed on Nov. 26, 2002 and Serial
No. 60/334,428, filed on Nov. 30, 2001, the rights of priority of
which are hereby claimed for this patent application.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention generally relates to clocks having multiple
features including unique lighting and time display features. More
particularly, a preferred embodiment of the invention relates to
illumination of the dial of the clock, which may be associated with
a night light feature that may activate and deactivate
automatically in response to ambient lighting conditions, or that
may activate and deactivate in response to user programmed
times.
[0003] Typically, wall clocks are mounted on a wall at a higher
elevation, usually at eye level or higher. This positioning is
usually not near an available electrical outlet, which are
frequently located relatively close to the floor. As a result, wall
clocks that derive their operating power from conventional AC power
systems need an AC power outlet installed near where the clock is
to be mounted on the wall. This alternative is often inconvenient,
or it is too costly to install a new outlet for the wall clock.
[0004] Another alternative is to have an electrical cord dangling
from the wall clock to the lower electrical outlet. However, many
persons believe that such exposed power cords are unsightly and
interfere with the dcor of the home or the office.
[0005] There is therefore a need for an illuminated wall clock with
a self-contained power source that avoids the problems associated
with an AC-powered wall clock.
[0006] A need also exists for a wall clock with an illumination
system that places a small current demand or load on the
self-contained power source. Replacement or replenishment of the
power source should ideally be as infrequent as possible.
[0007] Also desirable is an illumination system for a wall clock
that efficiently converts light from a light source into
illumination for the dial of the wall clock for easy viewing of the
displayed time, and that also provides dispersed lighting into a
room to serve as a night light.
[0008] It is therefore a general object of the present invention to
provide an improved wall clock having a self-contained power source
with various illumination features.
[0009] It is another object of the present invention to provide an
improved wall clock with a light module to efficiently provide
illumination of the face of the clock and to provide sufficient
light dispersion out of the light module for night lighting of the
room in which the clock is located.
[0010] A further object of the present invention is to
automatically activate the illumination features when the ambient
lighting falls below a predetermined threshold, and to
automatically deactivate the illumination when the ambient lighting
rises above a predetermined threshold.
[0011] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide
the capability for the user to program the wall clock for his/her
desired illumination activation characteristics.
[0012] Another object of the present invention is to provide an
improved wall clock with an LED light source that is positioned in
an edge of the illumination module.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0013] The present invention is directed to various illumination
features for a wall clock of the analog type with hands for
indicating the time. The wall clock has a self-contained power
source, such as one or more batteries. The illumination may be
automatically activated in response to low ambient lighting
conditions, such as encountered during the evening hours, and that
is automatically deactivated when normal ambient lighting
conditions return in the morning hours. A light sensor is used to
detect the ambient lighting levels. The time and duration of the
illumination may be programmed by the user. A dimmer control
adjusts the amount of illumination provided by the illumination
module.
[0014] A light illumination module, including a light emitting
diode (LED), in combination with light reflector, is disposed
either in front of, or behind, the clock dial to provide uniform
lighting of the dial of the clock and to provide sufficient light
dispersion out of the light module for night lighting of the room
in which the wall clock is located. The light illumination module
is preferably of ovate shape, with an enlarged end that has one or
more recesses defined therein to receive one or more light sources,
such as LEDs. This enlarged end of the illumination module, with
the recesses and light sources, typically extends beyond the normal
viewing area of the dial of the clock, and is hidden from view by
the frame or housing of the clock.
[0015] For best light transmission and dispersion from the light
sources to illuminate the dial of the clock and to provide night
lighting in the room, the illumination module is preferably
transparent, such as of clear acrylic plastic, with the edges of
the module having reflective properties, such as provided by
reflective coatings or paint. However, the edges of the recesses,
in which the light sources are disposed, are clear for receiving
illumination from the light sources into the illumination
module.
[0016] The illumination module is typically positioned behind the
dial. The dial is clear or translucent except for the time or other
indicia on the dial and the back surface of the illumination module
may be coated with a generally opaque reflective coating, or have a
reflective material disposed behind the illumination module, such
as plastic sheet material, foils, or the like. Such sheet material
or foils may be embossed, engraved, imprinted by silk screen
techniques, or the like, to enhance light dispersion in and out of
the illumination module. If the illumination module is disposed in
front of the dial, the back surface of the illumination module will
be clear to see the indicia on the dial, and the dial will be
generally opaque and reflective to reflect and disperse
illumination about the dial and out of the illumination module to
provide night lighting.
[0017] In accordance with other aspects of the present invention, a
programmable timer may be programmed by the user to selectively
control the starting time and the ending time of the illumination
of the dial of the clock. A battery level indicator may have
multiple levels to alert the user to the level of charge remaining
in one or more batteries, such as full, medium, medium low, low and
no battery capacity. For example, the battery level indicator may
be in the form of a display having four bars for full, three bars
for medium, two bars for medium low, one bar for low and no bars
for no capacity.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] The features of the present invention which are believed to
be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims.
The invention, together with the further objects and advantages
thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following
description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in
the several figures in which like reference numerals identify like
elements, and in which:
[0019] FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a wall clock with
ambient light sensing for automatic activation and deactivation of
the lighting functions in accordance with the invention.
[0020] FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of the wall clock
illustrated in FIG. 1.
[0021] FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the wall clock
illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.
[0022] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the wall clock
illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 taken along the sectional line 4-4 of FIG.
2.
[0023] FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of an illumination module
with a single light source for use in the wall clock illustrated in
FIGS. 1-4.
[0024] FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the illumination module
illustrated in FIG. 5 and for use in the wall clock illustrated in
FIGS. 1-4.
[0025] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the illumination module
of FIGS. 5 and 6 taken along the sectional line 7-7 of FIG. 5.
[0026] FIG.8 is a front elevational view of an illumination module
with two light sources for use in the wall clock illustrated in
FIGS. 1-4.
[0027] FIG. 9 is a front elevational view of a wall clock with user
programmable activation and deactivation of the illumination
functions in accordance with the invention.
[0028] FIG. 10 is a rear elevational view of the wall clock
illustrated in FIG. 9.
[0029] FIG. 11 is a front elevational view of an illumination
module for use in the wall clock illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10.
[0030] FIG. 12 is a pictorial diagram of the steps for programming
the activation and deactivation of the illumination functions for
the wall clock illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10.
[0031] FIG. 13 is a pictorial diagram of a battery level indicator
for indicating the remaining capacity of the battery for the wall
clock illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10.
[0032] FIG. 14 is a dot matrix pattern that may be employed in the
reflector of the clocks illustrated in FIGS. 1-4 and 9-10.
[0033] FIG. 15 is an alternative dot matrix pattern that may be
used in the reflector of the clocks illustrated in FIGS. 1-4 and
9-10.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0034] Referring to the Figures, and particularly to FIG. 1, a
clock, generally designated 20, is constructed in accordance with
the invention. Clock 20 is of the analog type with hands, such as
an hour hand 22, a minute hand 23 and a second hand 24, for
indicating the time.
[0035] Clock 20 has a housing including a generally annular front
frame 21 and a rear housing portion 25 (FIG. 2). In addition to the
shape depicted in the drawing figures, frame 21 can be supplied
with other ornamental features or be configured into other
ornamental shapes, as desired. Frame 21 can also be fabricated from
different materials. For example, to satisfy the tastes of
consumers, frame 21 could be different colors of plastic, different
types of wood or different metals. As one example, in FIGS. 1-4,
clock 20 may have a frame 21 formed from a thermoplastic, as by
injection molding. Frame 21 and rear housing portion 25 may snap
fit together by means of techniques well-known in the plastic
molding arts.
[0036] A generally transparent lens 26 may engage the frame 21 to
enclose and to protect the time indicating hands 22-24 from damage,
and to keep dust and contaminants from accumulating in the interior
of clock 20. Lens 26 may be formed, for example, from a transparent
plastic material. Lens 26 may be in the form of the continuous
curvature shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, or any other suitable shape,
including ornamental shapes.
[0037] Clock 20 has a dial or face 27 which is provided with a
plurality of time-indicating numerals, such as the numeral "10" at
28, disposed thereon. The "NIGHT VISION" mark and logo shown on the
dial 27 are trademarks of Equity Industries Corp.
[0038] With reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, rear housing portion 25 has
a raised boss 30 suitable for hanging clock 20 on a wall, as with a
fastener, such as a nail or screw.
[0039] Disposed partially inside rear housing portion 25 is a
battery compartment 31 for housing one or more batteries 32.
Batteries 32 are a self-contained power source for clock 20,
including for the various illumination features described below.
For example, batteries 32 may be batteries of the alkaline type,
such as the commonly available C size.
[0040] There are, of course, other alternatives to alkaline
batteries. Rechargeable batteries could be used in place of the
alkaline batteries. The front of clock 20 could also incorporate
one or more solar cells to provide operating current for the clock
during the daylight hours, with the batteries 23 acting as back-up
power during the evening hours. Such solar cells could also use any
excess power capacity to recharge the rechargeable batteries during
the day.
[0041] An elongated battery compartment cover 33 retains the
batteries 32 within the compartment 31. Cover 33 protrudes from the
rear of housing portion 25 by about the same distance as mounting
boss 30. Thus, when clock 20 is mounted on a wall, boss 30 and
battery cover 33 cooperate to orient clock 20 in a vertical plane
that is generally parallel to the wall.
[0042] As seen in FIG. 4, clock 20 has a movement 34 adapted to
move the time indicating hands 22-24. Movement 34 is preferably of
the quartz type for excellent time accuracy. Shafts of the movement
34 extend through apertures, such as an aperture 36 in a reflector
38. A knob 35 can be rotated, as indicated in FIG. 2, to initially
set the time for clock 20.
[0043] In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, an
illumination module illustrated in FIG. 5, consisting of a light
emitting diode (LED) 37 in combination with a light reflector 38,
provides lighting for the dial 27 of the clock 20 under dim
lighting conditions typically found in homes or offices after
sunset. LED 37 and reflector 38 also provide sufficient light
radiation to function as a night light in unlit or dimly lit rooms.
Disposed near the bottom edge of reflector 38 is a light sensor 39,
such as a photoelectric cell. Light sensor 39 continually senses
the light level of the room in which clock 20 is located. When the
ambient light level falls below a predetermined threshold, light
sensor 39 causes LED 37 to be electrically energized by batteries
32 to activate illumination from LED 37 for clock 20. Similarly, if
the ambient light level rises above a predetermined threshold,
light sensor 39 causes LED 37 to be electrically disconnected from
batteries 32 to deactivate any illumination. The light sensor 39
can be disposed in the aperture 40 defined near the bottom edge of
reflector 38 (FIG. 7). A dimmer knob 43 can be rotated to set the
dial illumination to any desired level between low and high
positions.
[0044] Dial 27 is in front of, and generally overlies the reflector
38. For good light transmission therethrough, dial 27 is generally
transparent, except for the generally opaque time-indicating
numerals 28 and other indicia, such as the trademark Night
Vision.
[0045] The light illumination module including LED 37 and reflector
38 is better seen in FIGS. 5-7. With reference to FIG. 5 first,
when the dial 27 is of generally circular configuration, as in the
embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-4, the reflector 38 is preferably
of generally ovate shape. That is, a portion of reflector 38
extends above the circular dial 27 for enclosing LED 37 in a recess
41 formed in the reflector 38. Thus, recess 41 and LED 37 are not
visible when viewing the face of the clock. In this example, recess
41 is of generally U-shape in the top edge of reflector 38, and LED
37 is disposed therein.
[0046] The optical properties of reflector 38 contribute
significantly to the efficiency of the light module to illuminate
the dial 27 and to provide sufficient illumination from clock 29
for night light capability. Reflector 38 is ideally transparent and
may be formed from a clear acrylic plastic material. As seen in
FIG. 6, the edge periphery of the reflector 38 is coated with an
optically reflective and opaque coating such that light from LED 37
is reflected back into the interior of the reflector from all
angles. This optically reflective coating may be, for example, a
white paint.
[0047] The front side of reflector 38 that abuts the dial 27 in
FIG. 4 is uncoated and transparent for light transmission
therethrough. The U-shaped recess 41 is also uncoated to facilitate
maximum light transmission from the LED 37 into the reflector 38.
However, portions of the front side of reflector 38 that are not
visible from the front of the clock, such as those portions
designated 42 on either side of LED 37 are also optically coated
for maximum light reflectivity from LED 37 into the central area of
reflector 38.
[0048] The back side of reflector 38 is also preferably coated to
provide a light reflective surface. Light dispersion from the
reflector 38 through the dial 27 and into the room in which the
clock 20 is located is also desired to provide a night light
function.
[0049] LED 37 is preferably disposed within a recess or notch, such
as in the U-shaped recess 41 defined in the periphery of reflector
38 such that virtually all of the light emitted by LED 37 is
gathered and transmitted by the reflector 38.
[0050] Clock 20 may, of course, be provided with more than one LED.
Shown in FIG. 8 is a reflector 48 with a larger U-shaped recess 45
suitable accommodating two LEDs 46 and 47. LEDs 46 and 47
preferably provide different color light for enhanced lighting
effects in clock 20. LEDs 46 and 47 may also indicate different
clock conditions. For example, LED 46 may be of a yellow color to
indicate normal functioning of clock 20, and LED 47 may be of a red
color to indicate low battery capacity, to indicate that batteries
32 need replacement.
[0051] Of course, it will be apparent that many alternatives exist
to the described structure for clock 20. For example, instead of a
separate dial 27 with the time indicia 28 disposed in front of the
reflector 38, these two elements could be combined by printing the
time indicia 28 on the back side of reflector 38 prior to coating
the back side of reflector 38 with the reflective coating. Yet
another example is that separate recesses could be provided for
each LED 46 and 47 in the reflector design of FIG. 8 instead of the
single enlarged recess 45 for containing both LEDs 46 and 47.
[0052] Shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 is a second embodiment of a clock,
generally designated 50, constructed in accordance with the
invention. In many respects, clock 50 is similar in structure to
clock 20. However, it will be noticed that clock 50 does not have a
light sensor 39 disposed near the bottom of the dial 27. Clock 50
is intended to be programmable by the user to set the times at
which the clock 50 activates dial illumination and the time at
which dial illumination is deactivated. To this end, a digital
timer module 51, a set button 52 and a reset button 53 are disposed
on the rear of clock 50, as can be seen in FIG. 10.
[0053] The steps of programming clock 50 are shown in FIG. 12. As
will be appreciated hereinafter, the timer module 51 operates
independently of the analog clock movement 34, i.e., clock 50 and
timer module 51 are not normally synchronized. However, if the time
of activation is selected as midnight, it will be appreciated that
timer module 51 will display "01:00" at 1 AM as it counts up from
"00:00" at midnight. In this instance, timer module 51 will display
"13:00" at 1 PM. Also, the timer module 51 has different modes in
which it may be counting up or counting down. Timer module 51 may
be a display of the liquid crystal display (LCD) type.
[0054] In the example illustrated in FIG. 12, it is assumed that
the current time is 3:00 PM, as shown in the top depiction 55. At
this same time, timer module 51 indicates "00:00", as at depiction
56. If it is desired to start the night illumination in seven hours
at 10:00 PM, set button 52 is pressed seven times. Each pressing of
set button 52 increments the time displayed by timer module 51 by
one hour. Thus, after seven pressings, timer module 51 indicates
the time as "07:00", as shown in the depiction 58. If set button 52
is not again pressed within a predetermined time, such as about 10
seconds, timer module 52 begins counting down to zero time as shown
in depiction 59 in FIG. 12. When timer module 51 reaches the zero
count, as shown in depiction 61, the time will be 10 PM as shown in
corresponding depiction 60. Upon reaching zero time, timer module
causes one or more LEDs to illuminate the face 27 of the clock
50.
[0055] Upon reaching a zero count and activating the illumination
feature for the clock 50, timer module 51 begins to count up, as
shown in depiction 62. Upon the timer module reaching a preset
count, such as seven hours in this example and as shown in
depiction 63, timer module 51 causes the illumination of the face
of clock 50 to be deactivated. In this example, the illumination
started at 10 PM, so seven hours later when the illumination is
deactivated, the time is 5 AM as shown in depiction 64. Thereafter,
timer module 51 continues to count up until it reaches "24:00", as
shown in depiction 65. At this 24:00 count, it will again be 10 PM
as shown in depiction 66. Thus, the illumination is again
activated, and the count of the timer module 51 is reset to zero.
Timer module 51 will continue to cycle thereby activating and
deactivating the illumination for the face of the clock every day
at the previously programmed times.
[0056] In the foregoing example, the set button 52 was pressed
seven times because of the seven hour difference between the
present time of 3 PM and the desired 10 PM illumination activation
time. If the illumination is to be activated at 11 PM, and the
present time is also 3 PM, set button 52 will need to be pressed
eight times to start the down counter from "08:00". The foregoing
example also assumes a fixed seven hour illumination period. Under
this assumption, if illumination is activated at 11 PM, then
deactivation of the illumination occurs at 6 AM.
[0057] The above examples assume the clock 50 is programmed on the
hour. However, if the present time is 3:30 PM and "07:00" is
entered into timer module by set button 52, illumination will be
activated seven hours later at 10:30 PM and the illumination will
be deactivated at 5:30 AM.
[0058] Rather than this fixed seven hour illumination period,
provision could easily be made for programming in the duration of
the illumination. That is, the duration of the illumination could
be varied in accordance with the user's desires. For example, as
the length of the evening varies with seasonal changes, the user
may also wish to vary the duration of the illumination provided by
the clock 50. Furthermore, rather than activating and deactivating
the illumination on an hourly basis, another set button (comparable
to set button 52) could be provided for entering minutes into the
timer module 51, if so desired.
[0059] At any time, the user may press the reset button 53 to
terminate the previously programmed illumination schedule. The user
may then begin programming a different illumination schedule by
pressing the set button, as described above.
[0060] Illustrated in FIG. 11 is a reflector 78 for the clock 50
which utilizes two LEDs 76 and 77 disposed in a U-shaped recess 75.
Reflector 78 may be similar to the two-LED reflector 48 for clock
20 that is shown in FIG. 8. Note, however, that reflector 78 does
not have an aperture 40 for a light sensor 39. Thus, LEDs 76 and 77
may be disposed along a bottom edge of reflector 78 since there is
no aperture 40 or light sensor 39 adjacently disposed to the LEDs
76 and 77 that could interfere with some paths of light
transmission from the LEDs 76 and 77.
[0061] Other variations may be made to the design of the various
reflectors 38, 48 and 78 of FIGS. 5, 8 and 11, respectively. For
example, instead of the previously described reflective coating on
the back sides of these reflectors, a reflective surface could be
disposed along the back side of these reflectors 38, 48 or 78, such
as metal foil, colored plastic sheet materials, or the like.
[0062] The back side of reflectors 38, 48 or 78 could alternatively
be engraved to provide multiple raised surfaces, such as points,
bumps, protuberances, or the like. FIGS. 14 and 15 illustrate
surfaces 86 and 87, respectively, created by dot engraving
techniques. Such rough surfaces result in increased dispersion of
light from the dial 27 of the clocks 20 and 50 to provide more
efficient night light capability. Use of engraving techniques can
also provide more interesting backgrounds as seen through the dial
27 of the clocks 20 and 50, including textures, decorative designs,
decorative patterns, or the like. If a plastic sheet material or a
metal foil is used on the back side of reflectors 38, 48 or 78, as
described above, such sheet materials or foils may also be embossed
with textures, designs or patterns. Silk screen techniques may also
be employed to imprint patterns, textures or designs on the back
sides of reflectors 38, 48 or 78, or upon any sheet materials or
foils disposed on or against the back sides of the reflectors.
[0063] Illumination modules, such as reflectors 38, 48 and 78, also
have utility in providing lighting in other applications. For
example, these illumination modules may also be used to provide
illumination of street numbers for homes, businesses and
apartments. Similarly, these illumination modules can provide
illumination for mailboxes, light posts and the like. They can also
provide background illumination for advertisements, signs,
information panels and the like. For example, signs that are
typically illuminated include emergency, exit and entrance signs in
public buildings.
[0064] As previously seen in FIG. 12, the timer module 51 may
include a battery indicator 54 to provide useful information about
the remaining battery capacity. For example, as shown in FIG. 13,
battery indicator 54 may have four separately operable segments. As
shown in depiction 80, when battery indicator 54 has all four
segments activated or illuminated, the batteries 32 have full
capacity. As further shown in depiction 81, activation of three
segments may indicate medium remaining battery capacity. Depiction
82 illustrates two segments, which may indicate medium-low
remaining capacity. Depiction 83 illustrates one segment, which may
indicate low remaining capacity. The absence of any activated
segments, as in depiction 84, may indicate that no batteries 32 are
installed in battery compartment 31, or that the batteries 32 are
too low in capacity to be useful.
[0065] Of course, the timer module 51 could be located on the front
of the clock 50, as on the frame 21 or on the back side of the
reflector 78, rather than on the back side of clock 50 as shown in
FIG. 10. Also, the timer 56 and battery indicator 54 of the timer
module 51 could be physically separate displays disposed at
different locations on clock 50, rather than combined together as
shown in FIGS. 10 and 12.
[0066] It will be understood that the embodiments of the present
invention that have been described are illustrative of some of the
applications of the principles of the present invention. Various
changes and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art
without departing from the true spirit and scope of the
invention.
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